Biggles and the Missing Millionaire/plot
Foreword W. E. Johns gives examples of how difficult it can be to find a "lost" ship. Chapter 1: A Tall Order Air Commodore Raymond has a "tall order" for Biggles: find the missing millionaire Otto Brandt. He and his secretary had gone on board their yacht, the Cordelia at Falmouth. It had left port without paying harbour dues and disappeared. It's more than just concern about his well-being. Brandt may not be the millionaire he purported to be. Some of his business ventures, involving other people's money, had failed. In the months before his disappearance, he had been buying up gold, silver and jewelry and loading them onto his yacht. It appears he may have planned to avoid a financial crash and pulled out with what was left. Raymond tells Biggles to "go anywhere within reason". A lot of money was involved and the law is supposed to have a long arm. Since what kind of stores are taken on board a ship might reveal where it planned to go, Biggles sends Ginger and Bertie to Falmouth to make inquiries. Chapter 2: First Clues The first clues come from garrulous "old salts" on the Falmouth quayside. They had helped load the Cordelia. There had been barrels of black and red paint, and numerous cases from "Garrard's" of London. These cases turned out to be mainly food but Biggles notes that there is a large quantity of the cheapest bully beef in large size cans and biscuits--not exactly luxury food for a millionaire. There's also a large order for maps of various places in the West Indies. Why so many maps? Chapter 3: A Strange Encounter Biggles next goes with Ginger to Warleigh Towers, Brandt's Hertfordshire residence which he apparently abandoned, with the caretaker and his wife left unpaid for months. In Brandt's study, Biggles finds little of interest except for an old atlas. Of the missing items, the caretaker's wife notices only one: a bust of Napoleon on Brandt's desk. Outside, there had been a bonfire where Brandt had burnt large quantities of paper. Biggles rakes it and recovers some unburnt scraps to be studied later. Biggles notices a young man lurking in the bushes near the house. The caretaker says he had been about the place for a month or so. Ginger manages to surprise him and brings him to Biggles. He's Francisco Tristano, a young Cuban and he has vowed to killed Brandt for killing his father. He gives them background on Brandt: he was originally Mattio Valesid and had a brother Martino. Both came to Cuba from Brazil, having made a lot of money in a revolution. They then tried to start a revolution in Cuba but failed and had to flee. Biggles lets the boy go but knows the case is growing more and more complicated. Chapter 4: Biggles Makes Plans The old atlas has a pinhole which matches the location of Isla Santina, located halfway between Andros and Cuba. Among the scraps of paper is something for sale at 1000 pesetas each. Another bears an address and name, the Htoel Castello in Tangier and one Captain MacIrish. Biggles calls Marcel and learns that MacIrish is a master smuggler who specialises in gun-running. Biggles reports these disturbing findings to Raymond. Brandt has taken on board enough food to feed a large number of men and lots of maps. Now with the arms buying angle added, it looks like he is starting a private army, possibly to launch a revolution somewhere and the West Indies, and possibly using a British possession, the Isla Santina as a base. Chapter 5: On Thin Ice While Ginger and Algy wait in Gibraltar, Biggles and Bertie proceed to Tangier to follow up the MacIrish angle. The Hotel Castello has a bad reputation--the desk clerk wants Biggles to settle his bill before he tells him how to get there. He might not come back. Biggles and Bertie finally reach the place and asks to see MacIrish but he is not there. A representative greets them instead. Biggles pretends to be interested in buying guns and learns that Brandt had bought at least two hundred old carbines and ammunition. Chapter 6: Fast Work Back in their hotel, someone has opened Biggles' case and must have seen his passport and Interpol carnet. Already, men are posted at both ends of the corridor. The enemy is already on the job! The desk clerk calls to say that someone, "from police headquarters" wants to come up to see them. Biggles plays for time while he and Bertie escape from their hotel room through the bathroom window. They are spotted leaving but lose their pursuers in a crowded market. Heading for the airport, their Interpol passes help secure a passage to Gibraltar. Chapter 7: Isla Santina Biggles and co. make their way across the Atlantic in the Gadfly and set up base in Nassau and begin a search for the Cordelia. They overfly Isla Santina where Biggles spots a smudge of smoke. Seeing nobody, Biggles decides to put down on the lagoon when a machine gun opens fire at them. Biggles takes off again hastily. Flying over the rocky cliffs of the horse-shoe shaped islet, he lands against the outside. There's just a few minutes before whoever fired on them comes up to investigate. He and Ginger get ashore quickly with the dinghy. Algy and Bertie then take off to give the impression that they have all left. Chapter 8: Unexpected Developments On a rocky shelf by the lagoon, Biggles and Ginger can see six men. When they leave their campfire to hunt some goats for the pot, Biggles goes off to explore their base. There appears to be a cave of some sort behind the camp when he thinks they may have kept their stores. Left to himself, Ginger suddenly sees the men running back to their camp. The reason is soon clear: a ship, the Cordelia, is steaming into the lagoon. Chapter 9: Trapped As expected, the cave is filled with crates of weapons. But now Biggles is trapped by the arrival of the Cordelia. Unable to get away, he creeps outside the cave and sits down. He is soon spotted by Brandt and Vaucher, who have come ashore. Biggles pretends to be passing by and complains that Brandt's men had fired on his plane. Brandt is obviously angry with his men for doing this. He quickly explains that he has leased the island for farming. His men were clearing the goats. He apologises for the shot and invites him to the ship for a drink. Biggles can't refuse so he follows. Chapter 10: Shocks for Ginger Left to himself, Ginger watches Biggles go on board the ship. After some time has elapsed, he concludes that he must already be a prisoner. If he could get away, he would. Brandt's men begin carrying crates out of the cave onto the yacht. Then at night, a cabin cruiser enters the lagoon and moors next to the Cordelia. The snapping of a dead twig shows Ginger is not alone. Another man, carrying a hachet takes up a position looking down at the lagoon. It's Francisco! Chapter 11: Francisco Explains Ginger could do with an ally, any ally. Francisco explains that he had been watching Brandt's brother Martino in Cuba. He had gone to Miami and bought the cabin cruiser. Francisco had signed on as crew hoping this would bring him to Brandt. They do not know who he really is so he offers to go to the yacht to look for Biggles. They will have to hurry to rescue him, as the yacht leaves the next day to launch the revolution: they plan to make Martino the President of Cuba. Chapter 12: Murder On board the yacht, Biggles is treated well at first but Brandt then pointedly accuses Biggles of being a spy. Biggles tells all. The authorities know who and where Brandt is and what he is doing. He suggests that he gives it up now and return to Falmouth. Brandt is taken aback that his plot is already exposed. Biggles is taken away and locked in a cabin. Looking out of his porthole, Biggles sees a familiar face. Francisco! There is a thud and then the door opens. Francisco has knocked out the guard. He tells Biggles to follow. Most of the people lounging up on deck ignore them, but one man leaning on the railing turns around and looks at them. It's Brandt! Francisco says he has been waiting a long time for this. Biggles yells at him to stop but Francisco fires his gun anyway. The alarm is raised, and Biggles runs. He meets up with Ginger but has no idea where Francisco is. Chapter 13: More Problems Francisco had left his hachet. Biggles and Ginger go to the lagoon entrance and use it to fell the palm trees there, forming a barrier across the mouth of the channel, effectively bottling the ships in. Going back to their vantage point, they hear a voice calling. It's Martino. He has done with the revolution. He wants Biggles to help save his brother's life. He can't use his cabin cruiser because there is a hurricane warning and his boat can't survive the journey. Biggles tells him he has no plane, but if Martino will promise free passage, he will fly Brandt to hospital when Algy arrives. Martino agrees but while walking back, he meets some fellow revolutionaries who accuse him of treachery and shoot him dead. Worse follows. Biggles and Ginger discover that Francisco has stolen their dinghy, which also holds all their remaining water and food. Chapter 14: Hard Pressed The revolutionaries try to clear the channel but before they can get away, a Cuban Air Force plane overflies the island and causes panic. The men abandon the vessels and swarm on shore to look for shelter. They must have known what was coming, for a Cuban naval gunboat turns up and opens fire. Biggles and Ginger withdraw to higher ground but are spotted by some revolutionaries. Just as things hot up, they hear a familiar voice. Bertie! He is up on high ground telling them to run to him while he gives covering fire. Chapter 15: The Showdown Back on the Gadfly, Algy and Bertie explains what happened. They had spotted the dinghy with Francisco on board. He was severely injured so they had to fly him to Nassau first and he told them what had been happening on Santina. Algy made a full report to the governor but they had then to wait the hurricane out--they were only on the fringe of it. They returned as soon as the wind dropped. The revolutionaries on Santina were later picked up by a British frigate. The Cuban gunboat did not attempt to tackle such a large number of armed men and it was British territory in any case. It did however tow the two vessels back to Cuba. Biggles chose not to denounce Francisco. There was some poetic justice to what he had done and he had undoubtedly been of significant help. In any case, Brandt did not die. He was found wounded but alive on board his yacht. After recovering, he was later tried and sentenced to life. Vaucher was also captured on board and shot on arrival at Cuba. Category:Plot summaries